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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. spell — magic
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. branch — a division
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. shower — rain
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. toast — bread
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wound — an injury
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com